Wednesday,
September 25, 2019
“Those too lazy to
plow in the right season will have no food at the harvest.” (Proverbs 20:4)
Autumn arrived on Monday morning
at the ungodly hour of 3:50 a.m. I’m not sure how the experts in such things figure
out such an exact time. Perhaps the angel
to whom God has assigned the seasons looks at his watch and slaps his forehead
and exclaims, “Yikes, I almost forgot. It’s supposed to be Fall!” Then, Zap! Just
like that, it’s Autumn, whatever time of day and night. (I imagine it’s more scientific
than that, probably something to do with what time the sun crosses a certain
point of magnitude or altitude of planet earth, but I like my explanation
better.)
But it must be Fall. It’s much
cooler, so much so that I have pulled out my long sleeve shirts and put away my
shorts. The leaves are suddenly turning colour. Concord grapes and fresh crisp
apples are in the stores. There have been
a couple of days during September already that I have had to turn on the fireplace
in the family room and even switched the thermostat over to heat mode. The kids
are back in school. The new TV season has finally premiered. The Halloween decorations and candies are in
the stores. Canadian Tire is cleaning out its gardening and patio supplies.
And, oh yes, it’s only 3 months to the day when it will be Christmas.
Yep,
it’s Fall. It used to be my favorite season of the year. (Spring now gets the
edge.) My church was gearing up and new things
were starting. Autumn life had a familiar pattern of anticipation and eagerness
as the lazy, hazy days of summer became a fond memory. For me, I looked ahead in
the church year which was about to unfold, and although sometimes the
beginnings of a new church year might sputter and hesitate, by Thanksgiving, my
favourite holiday of the year, things were kicking into gear.
I also enjoyed the crisper, cooler Fall air compared to the heat and humidity
of the summer. I loved all the colours of Fall and the aromas and tastes that
came with harvests of fruits and vegetables. And despite Winter just around the
corner and the days getting shorter there has always been a sense of joy and
satisfaction about the season this time of year.
Mark Buchanan wrote that Fall is a perfect time for gathering. It is a time to celebrate the efforts of our
hard work that has led to fruitfulness and productivity. It is a time to rejoice
in the cornucopia of bounty and plenty by which most of us are blessed. Many of
us have worked hard and long and consequently we are rewarded with the satisfaction
and gratification of a life well-lived.
I would add that it becomes a
good time to share this gracious abundance with those who have far less,
allowing them to get in on the season of thanksgiving and joy.
The apostle Paul wrote that well-known adage, “the one who sows
sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also
reap bountifully.” (2 Corinthians 9:6, New Revised Standard Version). It is
another way of expressing our proverb at the top of the page. To get good
results one must put in the good effort. Entitlement, that attitude that seems
to believe that one simply deserves or merits reward or success without putting
in the sweat and blood, is not a biblical concept. The goodness of life usually
comes out of intentional planning, preparation, doing and often in cooperation with
others. Success in life does not happen by
magic and pixie dust.
“So let’s not get tired of doing
what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing.” (Galatians 6:9, NLT)
Doing what is good – that’s very
important. Not delaying doing what is good, but doing good from the start,
waking up each day and anticipating that there may be some opportunity to do
good and make a difference.
We reap what we sow. “Give,
and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken
together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The
amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” (Luke 6:38, NLT)
Dale
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